Projects

Project highlights:

MOI – The Joy of Learning Multiliteracies research and development programme

The Joy of Learning Multiliteracies (MOI) programme is designed to promote multiliteracy among children aged 0-8. MOI entails professional development and collaboration among professionals working in early childhood education, pre-school and the initial stages of primary education (years 1 and 2 of Finnish compulsory schooling), as well as in the library and cultural sector.
More information: http://www.monilukutaito.com/en/

Co­CuCo: Con­sti­tut­ing Cul­tures of Com­pas­sion in Early Child­hood Edu­ca­tion

CoCuCo research project funded by the Academy of Finland (2016-2020) studies constitution of compassion in early childhood settings. We study compassion as a socioculturally mediated activity in two cultural contexts, in preschools in Finland and in Singapore. Studying compassion in naturalistic social interactions we are likely to yield informative cultural differences in compassion related to vocabulary, scripts, and rules, that govern how compassion should be expressed, and will learn, how policy objectives and organisational structures might either foster or impede compassion. Working towards cultures of compassion, we aim to design inclusive spaces, spaces where dignity and safety are norms, diversity is recognized and accepted, and everyone feels encouraged, supported, and included. Thirdly, our study deals compassion with children under school age, in their everyday social interactions. The project will produce new scientific knowledge about cultures of compassion, and their development. Researchers: Lasse Lipponen (Group Leader), Antti Rajala, Jaakko Hilppö, Annukka Pursi

MakEY – Makerspaces in the early years: Enhancing digital literacy and creativity

MakEY is a Staff Exchange (RISE) programme funded by the EU H2020 Research and Innovation Programme. The project aims to further research and innovation in the area of young children´s digital literacy and creative design skills.
More information: https://makeyproject.wordpress.com

DigiLitEY – The Digital Literacy and Multimodal Practices of Young Children

The aim of this EU COST Action is to develop an interdisciplinary network that enables researchers to synthesise existing research and identify gaps in knowledge in the area of digital literacy and multimodal practices of young children aged from 0-8 years old. This will help to avoid duplication, foster innovative avenues for future research and effectively advance knowledge in this area.
More information: http://digilitey.eu

Pathways to play – Leikinpolut

In the project the research focus is to understand children´s perspectives and viewpoints about learning in play. In the project the researcher follow children with different observation tools and interview them personally and through focus group to create shared understanding about play based activities in early childhood education centers. The research follows the socio cultural learning paradigm and participatory pedagogical focus.
More information: Jonna Kangas, PhD, University Lecturer jonna.kangas@helsinki.fi

Pedagogical Documentation and Digital Portfolios in Finnish ECE

This research and development project funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education investigates the practice(s) of pedagogical documentation in Finnish Early Childhood Education (ECE). The project is situated in three Finnish municipalities and their early years centers who adopted digital portfolios in pedagogical documentation. Our research focuses on opportunities and challenges of pedagogical documentation via digital portfolios with a special interest on children´s agency in this process.
More information: Professor Kristiina Kumpulainen, kristiina.kumpulainen@helsinki.fi and Najat Ouakrim-Soivio, najat.ouakrim-soivio@helsinki.fi

EDUDigi

The EduDigi project, funded by European Regional Development Fund, focuses on enhancing the application of gaming technologies in education and learning. The project is carried out by Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Science Center Heureka, University of Helsinki, and Tietomaa Science Center.
More information: Professor Kristiina Kumpulainen, kristiina.kumpulainen@helsinki.fi

Digital Computer Games for learning in the Nordic countries

This project funded by Nordplus Horizon is designed to strengthen teacher collaboration and knowledge exchange on educational games. The project is centered around an interactive website, where teachers and other DGBL (Digital Game Based Learning) enthusiasts, can access research and information about digital game based learning, overviews of relevant learning games, learning plans and instructions, as well as get in contact with others who are practicing game based learning.
More information: http://nordic-dgbl.wikispaces.com/Project+description